Two Washington, D.C. men have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a violent carjacking and robbery that took place in Southeast Washington last year. Laithen Bell, 20, and Cornell Jamison, 21, entered their pleas on February 11 in Superior Court for their roles in the January 22, 2025 incident.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Bell admitted guilt to carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Jamison pleaded guilty to carjacking, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a prohibited weapon (machine gun).
The Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld accepted both defendants’ pleas and scheduled sentencing for April 17, 2026.
Court documents state that the incident occurred at about 12:28 a.m. on the 4300 block of 3rd Street SE. A woman returning home parked her vehicle near an apartment building when she noticed a white van pull up beside her car before driving away. As she exited her vehicle, the van returned and stopped next to her again. When she tried to reach safety inside the apartment building, several men attacked her from behind; one was armed with a handgun. The assailants beat her, struck her with the handgun, robbed her of clothing, keys and cellphone, and stole her car.
Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department joined Jeanine Ferris Pirro in announcing the guilty pleas.
The Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Levy and Lauren Miller are prosecuting.
